If ever there was a set of action figures that needed to be in the world, it's this "Heroes of science" concept by Aussie DeviantArtist Russell Gawthorpe.

We're quite serious. Someone needs to make these real.

Using Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space 9 action figures as a base for his models, Gawthorpe — aka, datazoid — used Liquify and digital painting in Photoshop to create a concept series of 30 action figures.

His main criterion was that the scientist had to have been alive sometime in the 20th century — which, he said, made things a lot simpler, because he was working mostly with men in suits (a fact that depressed us somewhat, although that's hardly Gawthorpe's fault).

He also excluded those who had made significant medical breakthroughs, "because medical heroes is a category all of its own, and there are hundreds to choose from".

Nevertheless, the list is a good one — with perhaps more coming in the future. Can you spot your favourite?